Volunteers and interns work alongside staff to fulfill WCDA VAP Mission:
- To support and aid victims of crime as they move through the criminal justice process;
- To provide them with assistance, services, and resource information;
- To promote participation in the criminal justice system by educating victims about their rights, and to advocate for the enforcement of these rights; and
- To coordinate with community agencies to ensure continuity of support for victims.
VAIP require intern and volunteers be a minimum age of eighteen (18). Annual Internships require a minimum commitment of 32 weeks (8 months) per year, where interns will work a minimum of 16 hours per week. An additional 20-weeks per year, with 8-hours per week service dedication is preferred, when possible. Summer Internships require a commitment of 6 months; at a minimum of 16 hours per week.
VAIP Internships are unpaid internships offering benefits including professional experience within a criminal justice setting, growth of advocacy and crisis intervention skills, professional supervision and direct service processing, and provision of professional references upon successful completion of the internship experience.
Common educational backgrounds include, but are not limited to, social work, counseling, psychology, sociology, education, criminal justice, community corrections, and pre-law.
VAIP Interns and volunteers are required to complete a mandatory 40-hour training to learn about the criminal justice system, victimization, and the basics of advocacy. Our comprehensive training includes information regarding oppression, victimization, vulnerable populations (domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, etc.), probation and parole, criminal justice, and advocacy. Additional observation/experiential shadowing, interagency community shadowing, supplemental trainings and ongoing professional education will be required.